Raven's Darkest Hour
by My Wunderwaffle iz missin
Summary: Although the jaegers were successful during the kaiju war, there were a few people who believed that the onslaught would only get more powerful. The final Mark-4 jaeger and its pilots were created for this purpose, beating them back if they needed a last resort, but they find out the kaiju aren't the only enemies to the jaeger program. First attempt at a Pacific Rim story.
1. Pilot

**Journal entry**

* * *

Monsters have declared war on the human race.

I'm not talking about the bogeyman who children fear of seeing hidden underneath the bed at night. I'm not talking about people who have committed atrocious crimes.

I'm talking about kaiju, gargantuan beasts from another universe that enter ours by a portal at the very bottom of the Pacific Ocean. They come in all different shapes and sizes. They're designed for one purpose; exterminate humanity.

It all started on August 10, 2013, when I was twelve years old.

San Francisco and its neighbor city of Oakland experienced a 7.1 earthquake that day preceding its approach. After that, people witnessed something huge rising out of the water. This hideous beast was hundreds of feet tall, easily dwarfing the Golden Gate Bridge in the first footage of its attack leaked to the world. The creature already killed countless people before US Armed forces responded swiftly, but their efforts were constantly met with failure. No weapon seemed able to work against the it.

Deemed Trespasser, the monster nearly annihilated San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and many of the surrounding towns and cities. The military threw everything they had at it, troops, tanks, jets, everything. Even combined assault from multiple missiles, cannons and bombs did nothing except piss it off.

Finally, after six long days at batting the creature, it was finally killed in Oakland by a tactical nuclear missile. The victory was pyrrhic; much of the Bay area population was killed alongside it as well as the city becoming inhabitable. This was marked as K-DAY, the day kaiju, or strange beasts began a war of extermination against humanity.

At first, the appearance of the kaiju was thought to be an anomaly, just an isolated event. Life eventually settled back to normal, although countless conspiracy theories emerged and many nations claimed to take a stand against the threat. Trespasser's skull was displayed in a museum and the world moved on after mourning all the dead in the San Francisco Bay.

Six months later in February, everyone was proved wrong. A second kaiju emerged and assaulted the Manila metropolitan area. The excrement it left behind severely contaminated much of the city before it was killed by a second nuclear strike.

Four months later, a third attack hits Cabo in Mexico. A fourth hits Sydney in September. Although nuclear attacks had killed the two during their rampages throughout the city, it still made the majority of the place uninhabitable and risked having countless innocent people caught in the fight.

It was clear that there was no end in sight to these attacks. Nukes killed them, but the cons of their use outweighed the pros. Much of the cities were uninhabitable after the strikes, either by the kaiju blood or by the fallout from the nuclear weapons.

In Seoul, many nations around the Pacific Ocean gathered to share ideas, placing diplomatic issues aside on how to combat the kaiju without the use of nuclear weapons. All options presented on alternates were cast down.

Until a brilliant scientist named Schoenfeld proposed the Jaeger program in late 2014. Apparently, he was witnessing his son play with a toy robot and a monster as a concept and devised the idea of creating mechs that rivaled the kaiju's size to fight them. Approved after an audience with the United Nations, Schoenfeld introduced the world to Brawler Yukon.

Straight out of a futuristic sci-fi movie, the Brawler Yukon was the first prototype jaeger, among the best accomplishments of human engineering. Standing at a height to rival skyscrapers, the mech had dome-shaped armor and massive razor sharp blades running alongside its arms. Armed to the teeth, it was to be piloted by a single human connected neutrally to the machine. Unfortunately, that aspect did not turn out very well.

The Pan Pacific Defense Corps first test pilot of the jaeger suffered death. The neural load to control the machine was too much for a single brain to handle. Eventually, a two-pilot system was developed to share the neural load between the two hemispheres of both the pilots' and the jaeger's bodies. Now able to control the jaeger without any pressing issues, the UN gives approval and begins to fund the PPDC in manufacturing more of the giant robots.

The fifth kaiju named Karloff emerges and heads into Vancouver on March 23, 2015. All of the jaegers had yet to enter service at the time. In response, the PPDC sends Brawler Yukon to fight it off. The jaeger easily overpowers and kills the creature. Humanity was ready to make their stand and show the kaiju that they weren't the only monsters here.

Bolstered by the jaeger's success, subsequent other machines began to get constructed and shipped to various parts around the Pacific to ready in defense of kaiju attacks. Soon enough, every kaiju that emerged into our world met its fate at the hands of a jaeger.

The mechs were just as famous as the individuals who piloted them. It definitely wasn't easy to become a pilot and those that did became instant celebrities overnight. You would see them on talk shows, commercials and some of the more attractive female pilots on the cover of sports magazine, in a scantily clad bikini. I remember watching a show that anchors discussed jaeger pilots as if they were professional athletes.

The thought of battle against the kaiju began to fade as years passed. People no longer worried everyday about the dangers. It became so far back inside their minds that sometimes, nobody took the attacks seriously. The sirens could be going off and still there would be that handful of people who would ignore all orders to get into the kaiju shelters. The beasts seemed so harmless now that they began making a toy line for them in action figures. Frequency of attacks seemed as common as other natural disasters. In 2018 to 2019, the jaeger program was at its peak of success with more than thirty in service around the Pacific.

If one looked closely at the kaiju attacks and their rate, they would have seen a pattern. The beasts were slowly getting more powerful and many battles had jaegers encountering near-destruction before emerging victorious. It was almost like we were being toyed with, probing for a weakness.

Still, everyone continued to relish in their victories. The tide turn is coming; much faster than when people want to believe it. I just hope the PPDC is ready when it happens.

Should I be concerned? Absolutely. Being in high school and college I always made dreams in saving the world? I mean, which young boy didn't during their time in education? Stuck in boring classrooms for half the day left you to daydream wildly. Exactly. Slugging a kaiju and then launching a missile into their face. It collapses and you emerge from the jaeger's conn-pod to cheers from the crowd.

Once you descend to the ground, a drop-dead gorgeous blonde strides up and goes right for your lips, tongue inside and all.

Yep, that's what living the dream is like.

From time to time during the jaeger launches at Kodiak Island in Alaska, there was a long balcony overlooking the buildings that housed the Academy. Our school had taken a trip up there for history one day to learn our brief lesson about the PPDC. We just happened to see the jaeger plant and part of the shatterdome, an enormous hangar that was probably the largest building I have ever seen. Sadly, everyone was expecting to see a jaeger that day, but the shatterdome's doors remained shut.

Everyone talks about dreaming to become a pilot one day and fight to kill kaiju. I would too, if I wasn't reoccupied with another love that I had before.

I've been playing football ever since I learned to throw something.

* * *

I was born on February 4, 2001 to a single mother at Long Beach, California. She dumped me at an orphanage in LA when I was only two. Thanks to this act, I wasn't able to go to school until the fifth grade. The sisters who ran the orphanage did their best to put me onto the level of everyone else at my age, but I still continued to struggle with my education.

Football was what had kept me going.

It's hard to remember where it all began. Everything was involving extracurricular activities after school or just simply throwing the ball between other kids at the playground. Lots of people noticed my growing skill, before even I did. They told me I'd be a great quarterback one day.

Sure enough, I'd watch the professionals play whenever I got time to watch television. The sisters gave us so many hours based on our grades and the work we did around the place. Some of the other kids would tune in to watch cartoons and comedy shows, which I enjoyed as well. However, I bided all my TV time until the weekends to watch the professional Football American League.

When I went into intermediate school, I tried out for the quarterback position of the football team and could have gotten into the role, but I was denied. All because of my grades which had been deemed to be too low in order to participate in school sports.

Yes, there was more to life than football. I found that out the very hard way.

I knew that if I didn't start my quarterback legacy here, I had no idea what to do with my life. Up to that point, being a quarterback and calling plays was just about everything I knew and the only thing I considered myself to be good at. Slowly, through a dedicated schedule of both studying and honing my skills, I began to pick my grades up and eventually was allowed to play on the school team.

High school rolled around, along with widespread news of the first kaiju attack in the San Francisco Bay. Everyone was terrified and much of the talks during the entire school year were about it and the subsequent one in Manila during February, just a day after my thirteenth birthday.

Despite all that fear, I continued studying, beginning to develop an interest in sports medicine. I earned the starting quarterback position for my team. It's a given fact that we were among the best high school football teams in the city. During that time, I made my fair share of costly mistakes and we lost a handful of games. However, I like winning and I won a hell of a lot more games than I lost.

All of a sudden, the jaegers are introduced during the end of my freshman year. Chatter about the titan machines exploded all over the school halls, much of them being about dreams of piloting them one day. I shared those aspirations with everyone else, but they all expected me to be star quarterback of the school. Not that I could be eligible to join anyway.

Despite this colossal war being waged to our west in the Pacific Ocean, life still went on in the greater Los Angeles area.

* * *

In 2017, a kaiju made landfall at Los Angeles, striking first at Long Beach. They were now being sorted into categories one through five, determining several factors as well as their overall dangerousness. The news about their attacks seemed to be all distant, taking places at faraway lands. This time, it was very real and mere miles away. The PPDC had named the beast Yamarashi and it was supposedly the biggest category III to emerge.

As we were moving to the school's bunker, I was helping other students get inside. Everyone was casting a look across the street. I knew why.

It was about a mile and a half away, but it looked close enough that I could've run over and touched it. Everything about it seemed hostile, the spiny protrusions out of its shoulders and back, its hunched body that was ready to spring out and attack. Any doubts about them being a hoax were cast out the window for anyone in the Los Angeles area that day.

The sounds we heard inside our shelter were all vein chilling, missiles being fired, the monster letting out a loud roar that drowned out the sound of the jets sent in to fight it and eventually we heard more sounds of mechanical machinery. We couldn't see anything inside the shelter, but we all knew that it was fighting jaegers.

We stayed inside the shelter for what seemed like hours, until the PPDC broadcasted on their channel that the kaiju attacking Los Angeles had been killed by two jaegers and it was safe to resume normal activities. Much of the southern LA areas had been damaged in the fight, but the jaegers ultimately prevented the city from being ruined.

My respect for the jaegers and their pilots dramatically increased after that day, particularly those of Gipsy Danger, the jaeger that struck the killing blow to Yamarashi. Nowadays, everyone often regards them on the equivalent of celebrities. Pilots were now as famous as FAL players.

I graduated in 2019 with slightly above average marks and was set to head to Southwest California University, which had granted me a scholarship in becoming a competitor for the starting quarterback position.

That's when my life turned itself upside down.

* * *

**Hi everyone, I'm new to the Pacific Rim fanfiction base and am excited to write this story. This is something I've been trying to put together for a long time, along with balancing work and several other ongoing stories I'm currently writing. This is my pilot chapter and I intended to leave off enough for more to be shown in subsequent chapters.  
**

**I don't own Pacific Rim.**

**Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, you give my writing purpose.**


	2. Chapter 1

_**Emerald Sun **_**15 miles north of Fiji**

**May 16, 2022**

The howl of a warning system awoke Miranda Aguilar from her sleep.

Nowadays most maritime activity in the Pacific had to be evacuated and relatively close to port in order to prevent the loss of life for those aboard. Alarms had been installed to warn of impending kaiju attacks. It had only been a couple of weeks since the last one, being brought down by a two jaeger team.

Sounds from outside had told her that other passengers aboard the liner were outside and well aware of the situation. Taking a look outside, she turned back, throwing on appropriate clothes before heading outside into the chaos. A couple of crewman and staff were herding everybody to the interior of the ship as part of an emergency kaiju attack drill before the ship set out to New Zealand.

Aguilar just let herself be carried with the tide as they filed into a galley of a nearby restaurant from the cabins on the deck.

_Emerald Sun_ wasn't one of those enormous cruise ships that towered ten stories tall as those engineering marvels were way younger. She was about nine hundred and fifty feet long and her top deck was sixty feet above the water. Her namesake contributed to her green paint, which had begun to fade with her age. Prior to the breach opening, she had sailed from Australia and New Zealand to French Polynesia and Fiji on pleasure cruises for an Australian Cruise line. Now, she was one of the refuge vessels that delivered much needed supplies for victims of kaiju attacks as well as transporting them to other cities when the forecast of the next kaiju would target their city. Of course, they had no idea where the kaiju would attack next and many other factors, but predictions always were a start to minimize life loss.

_Emerald Sun_'s last voyage started as a warning from Sydney. An error came from their Shatterdome required them to only have one of their jaegers available for use. In turn, Los Angeles agreed for the time being to cover the eastern section of Sydney's territory until the Shatterdome resumed normal operations. Although a bit further away, the Marshal had done the precaution of two Jaegers to be temporarily in Hawaii while an American, Canadian and Mexican carrier battlegroup spread out in order to track and engage if necessary.

_Emerald Sun_ was the last ship inbound to Fiji and refugees stormed onboard after PPDC forecasters predicted the tiny island in the Pacific to be a likely target for the next kaiju attack alongside Nagasaki and Guam.

"Attention all hands," The PA system boomed with the smooth voice, "This is the Captain. As you all may know, we have a kaiju that has emerged approximately ninety minutes ago." At this, everyone began whispering worriedly to one another as they all huddled inside the small room. "It is a Category Three codename Cryptus and is headed on a course for Fiji. Remain calm and remember what we did during the drill. I will continue to update everyone as the situation progresses."

Aguilar found it horrific to find herself stuck in the middle of the ocean on a boat with a destructive monster headed straight for them. Small streams of light began to shine through the glass as the sun finally began to peek over the horizon.

Normally in voyages, sea or air, the captain usually never informed the passengers of a problem unless it was a very serious matter. Given that the sun was on the ship's other side meant that they were headed south back to the islands.

Aguilar just hoped that they would make it in time.

They had been moving for a half hour when suddenly a sleepy eyed passenger across from her widened in fright. The little kid pointed outside at the window to something that piqued his interest.

At once, everyone rushed to the small area, scanning around and noticing the small disruption of water approximately half a mile out. Aguilar and the rest of the crowd inside the galley felt their hopes rise up; the jaeger had arrived.

A pair of long spiny legs exploded out in a spray of seawater, covered in patches of sickly green and dark gray. It was the kaiju. Everyone gasped and started huddling together fearfully, knowing that their last moments were at hand. Parents held their children close, lovers embraced in hopes that their deaths would be swift.

Cryptus finished its emergence and let out a hair-raising hiss at the sight of the _Emerald Sun_. It had a skeletal insectoid appearance. Four legs were at the base as well as a heart shaped abdomen. Its torso had shell-like armor components that glowed blue where the open joints were positioned. The head had a pair of plates to guard its twin eyes, a pair of icy blue orbs. For forelimbs, Cryptus possessed two smaller arms that ended in serrated scythelike blades.

The floor vibrated as the captain had noticed the creature and put on the engine's maximum thrust in an attempt to outrun it. At first, they seemed to be able to move quicker, seeing how the kaiju was beginning to gradually get smaller. The floor vibrated, causing several of the kitchen utilities to hum lowly in response.

The six legged monster let out another hair-raising hiss and suddenly put on a burst of speed that Aguilar didn't think was possible. Lowering itself down, Cryptus crawled forward, using all six of its limbs to catch its prey. Although the captain was trying to reach port as well, he was unintentionally leading the kaiju straight to the island city.

At the _Emerald Sun_'s bridge, the captain cast another look at the pursuing kaiju, now seemingly falling behind in the race. He knew it was a stupid decision, luring it this way to a population center, but he had no access to help if he had done anything else. At least the PPDC could send help and it was likely the kaiju had already set its sight on making landfall at Fiji regardless of the ship's course.

"Anderson," The captain sternly said, not taking his eyes off the kaiju. "What's our current speed?"

"Thirty-eight sir."

"Crank it to maximum drive. We need to be able to outrun this kaiju."

"We can't go past forty." The crisp uniformed officer protested, "The engines are already straining as is."

"It's a risk we're going to have to take. At least we'll keep the kaiju busy until someone can kill it."

The sound of beating rotor blades brought the bridge crew out of their thoughts. Looking skyward, a pair of streamlined helicopters flew directly over the ship's beam. The sides lit up as missiles zoomed straight out of the pods attached to the gunship's sides.

The explosives blossomed into orange fireballs as they impacted the body of Cryptus. The kaiju didn't even flinch, letting out an annoyed hiss at the new flying nuisances that had come to badger it.

One of the gunships let loose with a barrage of machine gun fire. Tracer rounds lit up the dawn sky and it seemed as if the helo was using a proton stream against a ghost.

The kaiju suddenly let out a roar, shaking its head and trying to nurse a wound in its eye. Apparently, the flitting gunships had targeted the creatures eyes and merely pissed it off even more.

"Captain," The radio came from an operator of the PPDC gunship duo. Australian Eurocopter Tigers. "Continue on your vector towards Fiji. We'll delay the kaiju as much as we can."

"Roger that." The captain replied, "Is there a Jaeger inbound?" That question was detrimental to how badly the situation could be resolved.

"That's an affirmative. It should be here any minute now."

Cryptus' claw lashed out in a split second, narrowly missing one of the gunships. The second one wasn't so lucky and exploded into flames. The wreckage and its deceased pilots fell into the ocean.

On the radio, chatter was suddenly exploding out, from the PPDC bases nearby, the pilot who had just lost his partner and other control operators.

"I'm in need of backup immediately! Where's the jaeger?!"

Cryptus shrugged off another barrage of machine gun fire and was about to slash again with its claws.

Until it heard the sound of a horn.

It didn't come from the ship.

Water just to the starboard side of the ship began to churn and a shape began to rise out, followed by the sounds of clanking machinery.

A massive humanoid form rose up, its entire body having seawater cascading down. Parts shifted in a sophisticated sequence as it began to unseal many of its ports required to submerge.

The jaeger had arrived.

It sported a very dark gray color scheme over nearly its entire body. The torso was streamlined and its arms were slightly bulky from a pair of pad like appendages. On its forearms were another bulge that extended down to nearly its elbows.

Aguilar saw part of the jaeger's back and noticed a pair of long barrels that seemed to be dormant on the back. Further to its central axis was a pair of engine nozzles.

The jaeger's Conn Pod seemed a little more elongated than the others, but upon closer inspection it was actually a normal sized one and had two tusk-like blades running down the low sides and a third one that was just above its brow. The visor glowed a bright green.

The kaiju let out a hiss, standing on its four legs and using its torso now to extend its height. Now, the jaeger rivaled the kaiju in size. It pivoted in the water to face the monster.

Aguilar and everybody else aboard the _Emerald Sun_ ignored that the ship engines had safety measures kicking in and reducing the overall speed. Now the jaeger and kaiju were just behind the stern and everybody thought the same thing; they were about to see a fight.

Cryptus hissed loudly, slamming its twin foreclaws into the ocean and creating a massive wave. It surged up with a roar, gaining enough height to the bottom of the jaeger's conn pod. If the wave hit the Emerald Sun, it threatened to capsize it too.

The massive mech reared its left fist back and it lunged forward. The fist shattered the water all into tiny little droplets that pelted the ship's side.

The jaeger now moved on the offense, balling its hand into a knuckle and letting it fly. With massive amounts of kinetic energy, the fist made a solid crunching sound as it connected with the side of the kaiju.

Not expecting that much power, Cryptus hissed again, only for the jaeger's other hand to collide with the side of its face. The kaiju slammed its scythe arms into the water, slinking down and vanished. Its upper portion of the legs were the last to leave, barely making a ripple when it left.

It was definitely out of the ordinary for kaiju to run like that. The jaeger stood still for a few moments before slowly turning once again to the ship.

The jaeger's external speaker crackled, "This is the pilot of Silent Raven. I need to speak with whoever is in charge there."

Onboard the bridge, the captain grabbed the microphone. "This is the captain of the _Emerald Sun_. Go ahead."

"Captain, we've scared off the kaiju for now, but I have a feeling that we're going to see it again real soon. Get the ship back to Fiji. We'll serve as an escort to the port."

"What about the kaiju?"

"You or the city are the most likely targets. If we are to intercept and kill it, then better both be in one place. I know it's a risk and our Marshal's getting orders to evacuate, but it's our best shot."

"Roger that."

"Lead the way."

* * *

The ship's cooled engines spun to life again and it steadily cruised back to Suva. Next to them, the Silent Raven kept a gradual pace, slowly beginning to overtake its escort.

Inside their shelter, Aguilar saw the numbers 15 and 10 on the shoulder pauldrons as it began to pass where they were at. Slowly, the mech's head turned and she froze, almost as if it was staring straight at her. Just as quickly, it turned away.

The lights of Suva could be seen at the horizon as Fiji eventually came into view. Much of the ship's crew breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that they had made it. However, the jaeger pilots and the LOCCENT officers directing them were still very much vigilant.

The water ahead rippled, exploding out as Cryptus came back from its second wind. It reared up, showing a pair of nasty serrated claws with the intent of tearing _Emerald Sun_ into scrap.

A flash of gray interrupted its attempted slaughter as the Silent Raven barged straight into the kaiju's side. It flew a good distance, landing with a giant splash. Rolling onto its feet, it stood its maximum height, swiping its claws low as the jaeger charged. The sound of them scraping metal legs screeched across the place.

Raven's arm lashed out, grabbing the armored torso and giving it a good cross with its left arm. There was a stream of the luminous kaiju blue blood as it fell back into the water.

Cryptus moved backwards, hissing again.

Raven stood its ground, in between the _Emerald Sun_ and the kaiju. As if it knew the jaeger's intention, the beast turned around, lumbering towards the defenseless city.

The entire compliment of the ship saw the jaeger's back as one of its engines was at a standard power rate. With a whine of jet engines, they saw its twin situated next to it start to glow orange and it thundered after the kaiju. Parts began to shift as it took a slightly more aerodynamic appearance.

Cryptus had just reached the shallowest edges of a beach when it found itself being grabbed again. Thrashing, it turned around and practically leaped on top of the mech.

Raven shifted around, but couldn't find any advantage. The kaiju had them pinned.

Thinking fast, the jaeger's left hand moved away from its body. In response, the insectiod leg that had kept it on the ground moved with it. At the last possible moment, it was a blur of motion as the arm suddenly wrenched the other way, knocking the kaiju off-balance.

The jaeger rolled onto its feet and wasted no time to give the beast an opportunity to recover. A right fist slammed into its face and the same arm locked.

Everyone winced at the sound of something breaking inside as it delivered a hammer fist strike, followed by an uppercut by its left arm.

The sound of unsheathing gave everyone witnessing the fight something to remember. Raven held the curved knife expertly in its hands and struck out. The weapon was the largest blade anyone had ever seen.

It sunk into Cryptus' eye with ease and it let out an agonizing hiss, flailing wildly. Raven unleashed another pair of punches, now causing the kaiju to collapse. In one swift motion, it raised the bloody knife and plunged it straight into the center of the beast.

Roaring in pain, the kaiju's tries to break free were futile. The jaeger worked the knife, putting maximum weight inside and driving it in circles around its entry point to ensure maximum lethality. Kaiju blue blood began to leak out, dripping around the corpse. The jaeger rose from its killing position, sheathing the knife once more into its left hold. The battle had been won.

The Silent Raven had just taken its next kill. Already, its teams back at its Shatterdome were readying another spot to paint another mark of its next victim.

* * *

**The introduction of the Silent Raven. Much more will be described about it next chapter. Hope everyone is liking it so far.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Los Angeles**

**May 19, 2022**

"Hello everybody and welcome to Searing Trends!" Always the first words of show hosts Michael John Evans and Erika Nuffer went across the stage as the crowd of nearly five hundred stood up in applause.

Hosts of the late-night talk show Searing Trends, the two had quickly gained numerous awards throughout the show's relatively young age. As of 2021, it was the most watched late-night talk show in America.

The hosts walked briskly to a set of couches and a coffee table in the center. Evans was always dressed in a usual white suit and slacks with a signature red bow tie. Nuffer wore a different dress for every episode and this time, she had taken on a black and bright green strapless one that probably couldn't go any lower for the neckline.

This episode was one of the most difficult due to a lack of a guest appearance. Nuffer had suggested that they have viral videos on websites to talk about, however news was that a jaeger had recently killed a kaiju in Fiji. The pilots were based in the LA shatterdome and it was a day after the fight when the show producers had asked its two pilots to be the lone guest stars on this night's episode of Searing Trends.

"As many of you might know, this is a very special night." Evans began, "We were originally going to postpone this session, but that wouldn't be fair to all of you." He grinned, "Because you'd all have to go and burn the tickets."

This got a chuckle out of the crowd and those watching. It was the first of many.

"We actually got the part of this show last night and two of the hottest special guests. Just days ago, another kaiju attack has taken place."

Now the crowd let out a woah.

"A jaeger intercepted it in Fiji and it killed it very easily."

The audience let out a loud cheer and applause going through the room.

Everybody knew that a couple of years ago were where kaiju appearing out of the breach were starting to get significantly stronger. Starting in 2020, Gipsy Danger intercepted Knifehead, the biggest Category III to ever emerge. After the jaeger seemingly easily dispatched the kaiju, it retaliated when the pilots had let their guard down. Unfortunately, one of them was killed in the fight forcing his partner to fight and eventually kill the creature on his own.

Doubts about the jaeger program began to crop up. The frequency of attacks as well as the growing strength of the kaiju monsters was actually beginning to threaten the jaegers. No longer were they one-sided fights in humanity's favor. Kaiju were previously unthinking brutish animals, always succumbing to jaegers. Knifehead was the first of many kaiju who showed cunning and intelligence. Two years later, the program's critics began to become more active every time a kaiju won.

Now, a graveyard known as Oblivion Bay was established in Oakland, a scrapyard of destroyed or inoperable jaegers were sent to rot. It was already home to more than six mechs that have fallen in battle.

"We watched footage of the fight on the internet." Nuffer continued, "The way it took the monster down shows everyone that jaegers are still going strong!"

"Indeed they are!" Evans gestured to the side, "Silent Raven's pilots are here with us today and they do much more than drive the jaeger! Please help me welcome Rangers Chris Parsons and Aidan Mauk!"

The crowd let out a thunderous applause along with a couple of high-pitched screams from a couple female jaeger fly groupies in the crowd.

Parsons emerged first giving an enthusiastic wave as well as giving off a huge smile. He had sandy brown hair, dark blue eyes and he stood an impressive six foot four. His PPDC uniform made him look crisp and fresh, but his easygoing ambitious face showed a seasoned jaeger warrior.

Aidan Mauk was right behind him and gave a smile and wave of his own. He was a bit shorter than his partner just at a solid six feet. His eyes were gray and he had dark brown hair that had the faintest tint of red. Mauk's uniform made him look larger than he really was, but the awards were nothing less than spectacular.

The pair shook hands with Evans and embraced Nuffer before taking their seats on flamboyant orange couches that the show guests would take.

"First off congratulations to you for taking down that Category III." Evans started, earning another round of applause from the audience. "Truly, that was something spectacular."

"Can't say it was easy." Parsons agreed, "Cryptus was definitely something new."

"Why don't you start by telling us about your jaeger?"

"Sure, sure. What do you guys want to know?"

"Everything. You know just about everything right?"

"I'll have to get the operating manual back at the Shatterdome." Mauk quipped, earning a chuckle out of the audience again. "The Silent Raven is a Mark Four, the last one that rolled off the assembly line and was launched on December the thirteenth two thousand and eighteen. She is two hundred and fifty feet tall and weighs nineteen hundred and thirty tons. Her armor, software and engines make it the most advanced jaeger fielded against the kaiju."

"It certainly is an impressive machine."

"It is." Parsons agreed, "Every single jaeger is unique."

"How do you two work so well in sync together? I've seen ace jaeger pilots be like family members, but you aren't related either."

"We're not." Mauk said, "You're correct in saying that we're not related. At least by blood. Most jaeger pilots are brothers, sisters or father son teams. Some of them don't have siblings or direct family. Nova Hyperion being a good example. In-fact, those two hated each other before they went into the drift."

"It works out well." Parsons added, "Even outside the drift, I can recognize some of Aidan's subtle gestures that most others would often ignore. I thus know exactly how he is acting and I'm very sure vice versa. We've been on the University of Southwest California football team before we came to the jaeger program."

"Is that why it's named the Silent Raven?" Evans asked.

Both pilots nodded, "I don't know its original name, but it never entered service despite being launched four years ago until we came along. It's named after the USWC Ravens."

"That's where both of you quarterbacked?"

"If you notice closely next time you see the jaeger, Silent Raven has the numbers fifteen and ten etched on their shoulders. I wore number 15 during my career and Aidan wore ten. I control the left hemisphere of the jaeger."

"And I control the right." Aidan finished. Both spoke as if they had read one another's mind, which was one thing that frequently occurred even while not drifting. The crowd gasped at that, as the transition was seamless.

"Is that so?" Evans asked. "You two fight so well that you've never suffered a loss against a kaiju."

"It's all a secret Mike." Parsons chuckled, "We're just one of the best pilot pairs. Cryptus, the kaiju that attacked Fiji was our sixth kill."

"Amazing." Nuffer said, "Care to tell us about the other five?"

Parsons glanced at Mauk, who nodded with a thin smile.

"Sure. Our first mission was in Valapariso in late 2020 alongside Diablo Intercept against the Category three Voredai. After that, we've scored two more Category threes in 2021 at Victoria and Tahiti. We also killed the Category four kaiju in 2021 at Portland and the Cat four Bakadra earlier this year in Managua. I like to say that when it comes to kaiju kills, we focus on quality more than quantity."

Everyone applauded at the mentioning of the two category fours that fell to the Raven. Footage showed that they were brutal battles and both times had the jaeger seemingly easily scoring a nasty killing blow. His meaning of quality meant that they fought fewer kills than some other active jaegers, but in turn they were much more dangerous kaiju. Bakadra was widely considered to be the most dangerous kaiju to attack the eastern front of the Pacific coast.

"Silent Raven was the last of the Mark fours and the last one of American origin to be constructed." Evans explained, "Although every jaeger is designed to kill kaiju, they are all different designs and fighting styles. What would you say how the Raven fights?"

"Our style is akin to that of a knife fighter." Mauk said, "The CQC knife fighting concept incorporates bits and pieces of Filipino martial arts, Krav Manga and MCMAP. Although every jaeger has a unique fight style, I think ours is the best because it incorporates hand-to-eye coordination, strength in both physical and mental and persistence. When a kaiju has you pinned against a building, a million things can be going straight through your mind, most of them pertaining to survival. You have to work with your partner to get out of the situation before the two become the kaiju's first two of many victims."

"Have you been in a tight scrape before?"

"Oh yeah." Parsons agreed, "Not just in a jaeger. Mauk and I were formerly quarterbacks at SWCU."

At this, much of the crowd gave a loud applause, many of them alumni themselves.

The two pilots grinned, "Tight scrapes come everywhere, in a jaeger fighting titanic beasts or in the midst of a play with defensive ends and linebackers all with the minds in taking you to the ground. It's a choice you have to make in a split second. It can all depend on who is in front of you providing protection. The offensive tackle linemen can only do so much and if they happen to fall, you have to be resourceful enough to get away or beat them back when the pressure begins to build on you." He waved his hand, "Same concept with Silent Raven. Her style and construction purpose was along the lines of a last resort, ready to fight when the others have fallen."

"Well I apologize for not having more time to listen to you two as you are some of America's finest jaeger pilots."

"Thank you very much for your time. Aidan and I are going to have a little celebration at Chad's so anyone wanting an autograph or to say hello can go ahead and stop by."

"Well it was good to hear from two of humanity's finest defenders." Evans said with a round of applause. "Chris Parsons and Aidan Mauk everyone!"

The two pilots shook hands with Evans and embraced Nuffer before they took their leave off the stage.

* * *

Chad's was a renowned bar in the greater downtown area of Los Angeles known for its frequent visits by many celebrities from movie stars to jaeger pilots. Attire had to be presentable as if at a modeling show and thus, the operators of Silent Raven were in their formal Ranger uniforms, slacks, white shirt, blue tie and black jacket. A rainbow of medals were on their left breasts, depicting many commendations from kaiju kills to time of service. Both Rangers had served for almost two years.

They had rented a PPDC car from the Shatterdome and parked on the curbside just a block away from the bar. Founded by a man who had seen better days, his story revolved around "making a bar unlike any other" with a unique atmosphere and a place where most of the higher-ups could relax and kick back the troubles over a few alcoholic drinks.

The bouncer was a suited man who had the body language of someone not to mess with. Mauk gauged him as they got a brief inspection and were waved in. He himself couldn't take the guy on, but Parsons would give them a much bigger chance of success.

Taking a seat at a table, they flag down one of the female staff members to order a pair of beers. Part of Chad's marketing campaign was also his staff; young adult women with highly attractive bodies. They were all dressed in simple black dresses and likely part of the reason Chad's service grades remained so high. Earlier in the year, Parsons found out that Chad used to be an actor scout for many blockbuster films they had watched since a kid. The bar was started with the remnants of the salary, but primarily to deny his ex-wife the large amount of money he had previously made.

"You ogle any harder and your eyes will pop out." Mauk said as he watched his partner give a leer of approval at their server's retreating form.

"This is a bar. If she didn't want somebody to look at her boobs or ass, then she should have gone to medical school. Nobody will notice her."

"Listen." Mauk turned serious, "All this time, we've been able to get out of knee deep shit. Seriously, you're the only person I can drift with that has a good connection."

"What's this supposed to mean?"

"One drink." He threatened, already knowing what his friend was up to. "And if you're going to bed a girl tonight, go somewhere else. The Marshal's tolerated you up to this point, but he privately told me that enough is enough."

The rising star status of jaeger pilots still refused to wane even in the light of them being killed in action against the kaiju.

Mauk and Parsons were the two quarterbacks of Southwest California University football team. The USWC Ravens, bearing the namesake of their jaeger held a reputation for being one of the best college football teams in the nation. There were times where they would never appear in the championship playoffs for multiple years, followed by a sudden rush of consecutive playoff appearances. These roller coaster waves of win-loss record often produced many FAL players that went into the Hall of Fame. Being accepted into a starting position on the Ravens football team during a winning season almost guaranteed an offered contract from one of the 30 professional FAL teams upon draft.

The two were no strangers to being stars already. Joining the PPDC and making the cut as Rangers made their ratings and fan base skyrocket.

Since Parsons won the starting quarterback position, it was natural that he was often the face of the team or the jaeger. Mauk was always second, but reliable as the man behind him.

Chris was a well-known womanizer and being famous nearly assured him that any girl he happened to be infatuated with at the time would later end up sleeping with her.

Mauk clanked bottles and took a swig, nearly gagging at the strong taste. He was not yet twenty-one and had only drank alcohol a couple other times in his life, but nobody cared. After all, might as well enjoy the luxury before the world ends.

His phone vibrated and he checked it. A message from the Marshal to get back to the Shatterdome as soon as possible. He had news to share. Both of them were needed when convenient.

Looking up, he saw that Parsons had left his seat across from him and was now in deep conversation with a pair of gorgeous blondes. There wasn't much he could do to stop his copilot in flirtatious acts.

He paid for their drinks and exited the bar to their vehicle, wondering what the Marshal had in store.

* * *

**What does the Marshal have in store?**

**Writing is quite time consuming and I'm experiencing cut work hours. So perhaps the next update may be quicker.**

**Thank you very much for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose.**


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